tryin' to stick it to the man, since 2009 (and help food-oriented groups and small businesses)

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Construction to begin by March?

That's the story, according the Stranger. My correspondence with owner resulted in a terse, "the building permit is expiring so we are renewing it," but evidently that was not the whole story.

The whole point of this blog (see the first post here) was to serve as a 'meeting place' so that when the time for construction came, we might have the mass and momentum to influence what happens on the space. I'm not sure I've succeeded in building that base, but I feel like a decent amount of people read these posts and have participated in the events we've hosted. The question is, though, if a project really is going to begin, can we do anything about it? Does anyone have the time and energy?

1 comment:

private development is directly related to our neighborhood's culture, economics and social viability. and it effects every one of us. projects like this set precedence for future development, and I don’t understand how it can be going forward “as-is”. given the cultural sensitivity of the site and with so much money on the line, I do not understand why there has been no attempt to make amends and build community support. massive monstrosities built out to maximum height limits and setbacks like these physically fragment communities and usually incorporate only the bare minimum required public amenities and spaces. they tower like fortresses, are visually and physically uninviting. and in this case aesthetically uninteresting and mismatched to the rest of the neighborhood…. I do have some time and energy and I am interested in finding out if residents can influence the outcome of this and other development. I want to know who else in the neighborhood is concerned about the changes sitting on the horizon…. can [we] self-organize? is this something that our *ahem* Community Council or Dept of Neighborhood rep could/should help out with? has anyone talked to Mr Saxman lately?

Act/Interact

No events are currently planned but let me know if you have an idea for something. With the weather changing and the academic year in full swing, I'll mainly be posting information about news and events that I think will interest readers of this site. Please get in touch if you would like to share something.

As an Associated Program with Shunpike, People's Parking Lot is now able to accept donations from the good people of the internet. Our events are all planned and executed by volunteers so every dollar counts. So if you're feeling generous and would like to put a few dollars toward next year's Park(ing) Day (for insurance, sod, supplies, etc.), it would be greatly appreciated!